U.S. patent number 7,922,244 [Application Number 12/367,516] was granted by the patent office on 2011-04-12 for tray latch mechanism for high chair.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Wonderland Nurserygoods Co., Ltd.. Invention is credited to Adam D. Bearup.
United States Patent |
7,922,244 |
Bearup |
April 12, 2011 |
Tray latch mechanism for high chair
Abstract
A latch mechanism for child's high chair tray assembly having a
tray post and socket mounting arrangement has a central, front
actuation button that moves a slide link mounted underneath the
tray assembly. The slide link is connected to an actuation arm
slidably mounted within each respective tray post. The actuation
arm includes a cam surface that pivots a latch member having a
rectangular lock pin that extends below the tray post into
engagement with openings in the socket receiving the tray post. The
latch member is spring loaded into engagement with the socket
openings. The front surface of the arm rests are sloped to cam the
lock pin into the tray post to permit a passive mounting of the
tray onto the high chair, but the lock pin engages the first socket
opening to require a non-passive manipulation to affect positional
adjustment or removal from the high chair.
Inventors: |
Bearup; Adam D. (Lakewood,
CO) |
Assignee: |
Wonderland Nurserygoods Co.,
Ltd. (Hong Kong, CN)
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Family
ID: |
40821747 |
Appl.
No.: |
12/367,516 |
Filed: |
February 7, 2009 |
Prior Publication Data
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Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
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US 20090206639 A1 |
Aug 20, 2009 |
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Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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61066309 |
Feb 19, 2008 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
297/153; 297/149;
297/148; 297/150; 297/151 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47D
1/002 (20130101); A47D 1/0081 (20170501); A47D
1/004 (20130101); A47D 1/0085 (20170501) |
Current International
Class: |
A47B
83/02 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;297/148,149,150,151,153 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: White; Rodney B
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Miller Law Group, PLLC
Parent Case Text
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims priority on U.S. Provisional Patent
Application Ser. No. 61/066,309, filed on Feb. 19, 2008, the
content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
Claims
Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:
1. A latch mechanism for a tray system formed with tray posts for
mounting on a child's high chair having laterally spaced arm rests
formed, respectively, with a socket to receive said tray posts,
comprising: a latch member movably mounted within each said tray
post and having a lock pin projecting out of said tray post, said
lock pins being engageable with the corresponding said arm rest to
affect a retraction of said lock pin into said tray post in
response to said tray post being initially inserted into the
respective said socket; and an actuation arm slidably mounted
within each said tray post for engagement with said latch member to
affect a pivotal movement thereof to retract said lock pin into
said tray post.
2. The latch mechanism of claim 1 wherein each said socket is
formed with a plurality of openings therein for a selective
engagement of the respective said lock pin to secure said tray
system in a selected position on said high chair.
3. The latch mechanism of claim 2 wherein each said lock pin is
formed in a generally rectangular shape to resist push/pull forces
when engaged in one of said openings, said arm rests including a
sloped surface located for engagement with the corresponding said
lock pin to affect retraction thereof into said tray post.
4. The latch mechanism of claim 3 wherein each said latch member is
pivotally mounted within said tray post and spring-biased to
project said lock pin out of said tray post for engagement with
said openings in the corresponding said socket.
5. The latch mechanism of claim 1 wherein each said actuation arm
includes a cam surface engageable with the corresponding said latch
member to affect said pivotal movement thereof when said actuation
arm is moved into engagement with the latch member.
6. The latch mechanism of claim 5 further comprising a slide link
mounted to said tray system and connected to said actuation arms,
said slide link including an actuation button positioned on said
tray system to cause a sliding movement of said slide link and the
connected actuation arms when manipulated.
7. The latch mechanism of claim 6 wherein each said actuation arm
is formed with an upright engagement arm coupled with an engagement
cup formed on said slide link to transfer the sliding movement of
the slide link to said actuation arms.
8. A high chair comprising: a chair member having a seat portion
and laterally spaced arm rests formed, respectively, with a
longitudinally extending socket, each said socket including a
plurality of spaced-apart openings therein; a tray system including
a first tray member formed with rearwardly extending tray posts
alignable with said sockets; and a latch mechanism including a
retractable lock pin mounted in each said tray post interiorly and
partially extended outside said tray post for engagement with
selected said openings, each said lock pin being engageable with an
exterior surface of the corresponding said arm rest to retract said
lock pin into the corresponding said tray post when said tray posts
are inserted into said sockets, each said lock pin is formed as
part of a latch member pivoted within each said tray post.
9. The high chair of claim 8 wherein said lock pin is biased to
project from said tray post when aligned with one of said
openings.
10. The high chair of claim 8 wherein said lock pins are generally
rectangularly shaped, said exterior surfaces of said arm rests
being sloped to affect retraction of said lock pins when said tray
posts are inserted into said sockets.
11. The high chair of claim 8 wherein said latch mechanism further
comprises: an actuator arm slidably mounted within each said tray
post to move into engagement with said latch member, said actuator
arm including a cam surface engageable with said latch member to
affect pivoting thereof to retract said lock pin when said actuator
arm is moved into engagement with said latch member.
12. The high chair of claim 8 wherein said latch mechanism further
comprises: a slide link slidably mounted on said tray system and
extending laterally to engage both said actuator arms, said slide
link having a centrally located actuator button operable to cause
sliding movement of said slide link.
13. A tray system for a child's high chair having arm rests, each
said arm rest being formed with a longitudinally extending socket,
comprising: a tray member formed with rearwardly extending tray
posts alignable with said sockets so as to be positionable within
said sockets; and a latch mechanism including a centrally
positioned actuator member, a slide apparatus, and a spring-biased
latch member having a lock pin extendable from each said tray post
to engage selected openings formed in the corresponding said
sockets, said slide apparatus lifting said spring-biased lock pins
from said selected openings engaged therewith when said actuator
member is manipulated to allow said tray posts to be positionally
adjusted within said sockets, said slide apparatus including: a
slide link connected to said actuator member and being slidably
mounted beneath said tray member; and an actuator arm slidably
mounted within each said tray post, each said actuator arm being
connected to said slide link, said actuator arm being engageable
with said latch member when said actuator member is depressed.
14. The tray system of claim 13 wherein each said latch member is
pivotally mounted within the corresponding said tray post, each
said actuator arm including a cam surface engageable with the
corresponding said latch member to affect a pivotal movement of
said latch member for the retraction of the lock pin into said tray
post when said actuator member is depressed.
15. The tray system of claim 14 wherein said lock pins are formed
in a generally rectangular shape to resist push/pull forces on said
tray system to keep said lock pins engaged in said openings.
16. The tray system of claim 15 wherein each said arm rest is
formed with a sloped exterior surface, said lock pins being engaged
with the corresponding said sloped surfaces when said tray posts
are first inserted into said sockets to cause a retraction of said
lock pins into said tray posts and permit the installation of said
tray system onto said high chair without requiring manipulation of
said latch mechanism.
17. The tray system of claim 16 wherein each said latch member is
biased to extend said lock pin from said tray post for engagement
with said openings in the corresponding said socket, said lock pin
being engaged with a first one of said openings when said tray
posts are being inserted into said sockets.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to a child's high chair
and, more particularly, to a latch mechanism for a high chair tray
system that will permit an easy installation of the tray while
providing positional adjustment.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Different products are used by parents to aid in the positioning of
their children to facilitate feeding them from the time the child
is an infant until the child is old enough and large enough to sit
at a table properly. One such product is a high chair, which is
typically used to support infants and small toddlers at an elevated
position so that the caregiver can easily feed the child. The high
chair is a self-standing unit that provides a safe and secure
seating area with a feeding tray that is removable from the high
chair to facilitate the placement of the child on the high chair
and to facilitate the cleaning of the tray and high chair
structure. High chairs can incorporate height adjustment mechanism
so that the seat can be vertically positioned to fit various table
heights so that the tray mechanism could be removed from the high
chair and the child positioned on the high chair be pushed up to a
table.
High chairs can provide different tray options. Some high chair
configurations provide a smaller snack tray under the typical large
high chair tray. These snack trays are attached to the high chair
seat and do not have the ability to be adjusted in and out to
accommodate different child sizes. Furthermore, since the snack
tray is directly attached to the high chair seat, the care giver is
required to lift the child up and over the snack tray in order to
seat the child in the high chair, or to remove the child from the
high chair. Although some snack trays can be removed from the high
chair seat without tools, the removal of the snack tray typically
requires two hands and the snack tray is usually only removed when
the high chair is being used without the large tray, such as when
the child in the high chair is pushed directly up to the table.
While the snack tray is not typically adjustable positionally, the
large tray is usually positionally adjustable on the snack
tray.
Only a few high chairs commercially available utilize a post to
socket tray connection, in which the tray is formed with rearwardly
projecting horizontal posts that are received within sockets formed
in the high chair structure. The post and socket design can be
advantageous over other tray mounting designs in that the tray is
easy to align when fastening to the high chair seat and the tray
offers a strong interlocking connection with the high chair
structure to withstand extreme cases of abuse during product use.
Even so, the post and socket design is not without drawbacks. The
post and socket tray mounting design typically suffers from high
amounts of friction between post and socket and from the need to
actuate the tray adjustment mechanism before for connecting the
tray to the high chair seat.
The friction problem is typically resolved in a limited manner by
using dissimilar materials for the tray post and high chair socket
components. While dissimilar materials do aid in reducing the
friction problem, the post and socket mounting trays often remain
difficult to adjust positionally relative to the high chair as the
tray posts often bind or stick. The caregiver can become frustrated
and loose motivation for removing the tray altogether. As a result,
the value of having a removable tray can be unrealized or
underappreciated by the caregiver.
Furthermore, inserting the tray posts into the high chair receiving
sockets can be cumbersome, as often times, the user tries to attach
the tray to the high chair structure only to find that the locking
mechanism, which is located in the tray post is obstructing
insertion of the post into the socket. As a result, the locking
mechanism must first be actuated before the tray can be attached to
the high chair. Actuating the lock mechanism while trying to attach
the tray using only one hand is a more difficult task than any
caregiver should have to undertake.
A tray latching mechanism is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,807,928,
issued on Feb. 28, 1989, to Richard Cone, wherein the tray latching
mechanism enables the tray to adjust the position of the tray
relative to the high chair and then to be located back at the same
selected position each time the tray is removed from the high
chair. The tray latching mechanism is actuated by pulling a central
front actuation handle to adjust the tray position related to the
high chair and by pushing the handle to remove the tray from or
mount the tray onto the high chair armrests.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,238,292, granted on Aug. 24, 1993, to Douglas
Golenz, et al, also teaches a front, centrally positioned actuator
lever that operates a latch mechanism for a removable high chair
tray through several linkages that affect rotation of a central
member to operate laterally positioned engagement members such that
the pulling of the central lever releases the engagement of the
tray with the high chair arm rests. Similarly, the front, central
actuation member in the high chair tray in U.S. Pat. No. 5,348,374,
granted to Tzu-Yu Kuo on Sep. 20, 1994, slides a cam actuator into
laterally extending actuator arms to operate engagement members on
the lateral sides of the tray apparatus.
Another centrally mounted actuator lever that moves a linkage to
cause a latching and unlatching operation for the tray is shown in
U.S. Pat. No. 5,489,138, issued to John Mariol, et al on Feb. 6,
1996. The actuated linkage engages recesses formed in the sides of
the arm rests of the high chair to provide a fore-and-aft
adjustment feature for the tray. U.S. Pat. No. 6,416,124 discloses
a highchair having a central actuator operable to move horizontal
and vertical components underneath the tray, and a pair of supports
on opposite sides of the high chair, each having a plurality of
elastic projections on the inside and a movable tray coupled
between the supports. The supports further comprise a tube disposed
on a leg of the high chair and a plurality of studs releasably
coupled to the highchair.
None of the cited prior art shows a latch mechanism, or a position
adjustment mechanism, that would allow a one-handed insertion of a
tray onto the structure of a high chair, without requiring the
manipulation of the latch mechanism to affect the mounting of
horizontally extending tray posts into corresponding sockets. It
would be desirable to provide a latch mechanism for a high chair
tray structure that will allow an easy positioning of the tray on
the high chair and provide improved flexibility in the use of the
tray.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of this invention to overcome the disadvantages of
the prior art by providing a tray post and socket mounting
apparatus that can be mounted onto a high chair without requiring a
manipulation of the centrally located actuation mechanism.
It is another object of this invention to provide a latch mechanism
for a high chair tray that is operable in conjunction with a tray
post and socket mounting arrangement.
It is still another object of this invention to provide a tray
latch mechanism that will provide a passive actuation during the
initial insertion into the high chair, but function non-passively
once the tray is mounted onto the high chair.
It is a feature of this invention that the tray posts incorporate
latch member that projects below the tray post for engagement with
openings in the bottom surface of the socket to positionally secure
the tray in a selected position on the high chair.
It is another feature of this invention that the front portion of
the arm rests on the high chair is formed with sloped surface that
will cam the latch member into the tray post to allow a passive
insertion of the tray post into the socket in the arm rest.
It is an advantage of this invention that the retractable latch
member will allow the installation of the tray assembly onto the
high chair without requiring manipulation of the latch
mechanism.
It is still another feature of this invention that the latch
mechanism is spring loaded to urge the latch member into engagement
with the socket openings.
It is another advantage of this invention that the latch member
will pivot into engagement with the first opening in the bottom
surface of the socket to latch the tray assembly into position
after being passively inserted into the arm rests.
It is still another advantage of this invention that the positional
adjustment of the tray assembly requires manipulation of the latch
mechanism once the tray assembly has been mounted onto the high
chair.
It is yet another advantage of this invention that the tray
assembly requires manipulation of the latch mechanism to dismount
the tray from the high chair.
It is yet another feature of this invention that the latch
mechanism includes an actuation button centrally positioned at the
front of the tray assembly.
It is yet another advantage of this invention that the actuation
button is conveniently accessible by the caregiver to operate with
a single hand.
It is another feature of this invention that the actuation button
move a slide member positioned underneath the tray assembly to
branch laterally for operation of a linkage housed within each of
the tray posts.
It is still another feature of this invention that each of the
actuation linkages in the tray posts includes a slidable actuation
arm engaged with the central slide member underneath the tray
assembly.
It is another advantage of this invention that the centrally
positioned actuator button is operable to move simultaneously the
actuation arms in the opposing tray posts.
It is yet another feature of this invention that each of the
slidable actuation arms includes a cam surface to cause pivotal
movement of the latch member when moved into engagement with the
latch member to affect a release of the latch member from the
openings in the arm rest socket.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide a tray system
latch mechanism that will passively actuate during initial
insertion into the high chair socket, yet function non-passively
once engaged into the first adjustment position slot in the
socket.
It is a further feature of this invention that the spring loaded
lock pin will function non-passively once the lock pin aligns with
the first engagement opening in the lower socket part.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide a latch
mechanism for the tray of a child's high chair that is durable in
construction, inexpensive of manufacture, carefree of maintenance,
facile in assemblage, and simple and effective in use.
These and other objects, features and advantages are accomplished
according to the instant invention by providing a latch mechanism
for child's high chair tray assembly having a tray post and socket
mounting arrangement. The latch mechanism includes a central, front
actuation button that moves a slide link mounted underneath the
tray assembly. The slide link is connected to an actuation arm
slidably mounted within each respective tray post. The actuation
arm includes a cam surface that pivots a latch member having a
rectangular lock pin that extends below the tray post into
engagement with openings in the socket receiving the tray post. The
latch member is spring loaded into engagement with the socket
openings. The front surface of the arm rests are sloped to cam the
lock pin into the tray post to permit a passive mounting of the
tray onto the high chair, but the lock pin engages the first socket
opening to require a non-passive manipulation to affect positional
adjustment or removal.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The advantages of this invention will be apparent upon
consideration of the following detailed disclosure of the
invention, especially when taken in conjunction with the
accompanying drawings wherein:
FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a high chair incorporating
the principles of the instant invention;
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view through the tray post and high
chair socket to depict the mounting of the double tray system on
the high chair structure;
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the double tray system removed
from the high chair structure;
FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the lower tray with tray post,
portions of the lower tray structure being broken away to permit a
viewing of the component parts within the tray post;
FIG. 5 is an exploded upper perspective view of the tray
configuration including the lower tray, upper tray and the tray
insert;
FIG. 6 is an exploded lower perspective view of the tray
configuration shown in FIG. 5;
FIG. 7 is a lower perspective view of the double tray assembly;
FIG. 8 is a bottom plan view of the lower tray with the upper tray
removed therefrom;
FIG. 9 is an upper perspective view of the position adjustment
actuation mechanism, the movement of the slide link being shown in
phantom; and
FIG. 10 is a side elevational view of the tray system with portions
thereof broken away to better view the position adjustment
actuation mechanism extending through the tray posts.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring now to the drawings, a high chair incorporating the
principles of the instant invention can best be seen. In terms of
general structure, the high chair 10 can include a Z-shaped frame
11 that has a base portion 12 and a generally vertically extending
upright portion 13 that meets the base portion 12 at an acute
angle. The upright portion 13 includes a pair of laterally spaced
base legs 17 that receive respective telescopic legs 14 that can be
optionally spring-biased to an extended position to offset the
weight of the seat member 20 and a child that can be seated in the
seat member 20. The position of the telescopic legs 14 relative to
the base legs 17 is controlled by a height adjustment latch
mechanism 15 having an actuator 16 supported on each of the
telescopic legs 14. The base portion 12 is preferably equipped with
a set of fixed wheels 19 at the joint between the base portion 12
and the base legs 17 of the upright portion 13, and a pair of
caster wheels 18 to provide mobility to the Z-frame 11.
The Z-frame 11 supports a seat member 20 at an upper portion
thereof. The seat member 20 is formed with a generally horizontal
seat portion 22, which is surrounded on the two lateral sides by
upright side walls 23 that form arm rests and in the back between
the arm rests 23 by a seat back 25. The front of the seat member 20
is open to accommodate the legs of a child seated on the seat
portion 22, but is formed with a foot rest support 24 that extends
downwardly from the forward edge of the seat portion 22. The foot
rest support 24 is preferably formed with a plurality of vertically
spaced pairs of horizontally oriented mounting slots 26 into which
a foot rest 27 can be inserted for selective positioning according
to the size of the child being supported on the seat member 20. The
seat member 20 is supported on the Z-frame 11, but positioned such
that the side wall 23, particularly along the back portion 25 of
the seat member 20, is spaced from the Z-frame 11, which preferably
curves from one telescopic leg 14 to the other.
The tray system 30 is generally formed of a small lower tray 32
that is mounted on the high chair structure 10, as will be
described in greater detail below, a larger upper tray 40 and a
tray insert 47, which can be seen best in the exploded views of
FIGS. 5 and 6. The lower tray 32, which can also be referred to as
a travel tray as this smaller tray configuration takes up less
space when traveling than the larger regular tray 40, is sized to
fit within a depression 41 formed into the underside of the larger
upper tray 40. The underside of the upper tray 40 is provided with
a pair of laterally spaced latch members 43 that are positioned to
engage the sides of the lower tray 32 to allow the upper tray 40 to
be mounted on top of the lower tray 32. The latch members 43 are
preferably slidable along the underside of the upper tray 40 so as
to be movable between an outward release position and an inward
engagement position.
The latch members 43 project below the underside of the upper tray
40 so as to be engagable with the sides of the lower tray 32 and so
that the top surface of the lower tray 32 will nest the larger
upper tray 40. With the nesting arrangement between the upper and
lower trays 40, 32, the upper tray 40 is only positioned a short
distance above the lower tray 32 substantially equal to the
thickness of the material forming the upper tray 40. Since the
upper tray 40 does not incorporate a position adjustment mechanism
that enables the upper tray 40 to be moved relative to the lower
tray 32, the overall vertical height of the tray system 30 is
minimized and is easier to manipulate with one hand.
Preferably, the latch members 43 are spring-biased into the inward
engagement position such that the caregiver would need to grasp the
latch members 43 on each side that pull the latch members 43
outwardly to affect a release of the sides of the lower tray 32 to
enable the upper tray 40 to be removed from the lower tray 32.
Conversely, the shape of the latch members 43 should be beveled
along the interior side 44 thereof so that the upper tray 40 can be
installed onto the lower tray 32 simply by positioning the upper
tray 40 over the lower tray 32 and pressing downwardly thereon. The
beveled edges 44 of the latch members 43 will cam the latch members
43 outwardly to allow the engagement thereof with the sides of the
lower tray 32, with the spring bias closing the latch members 43
into the engagement position.
The upper surface 45 of the upper tray 40 is depressed so as to
provide a rimmed surface 45 that will retain food and other items.
A tray insert 47 can be placed onto the upper surface 45, as is
reflected in the exploded views of FIGS. 5 and 6, to provide a
readily removable surface that can facilitate the cleaning of the
upper tray 40. The tray insert 47 can be formed with a downwardly
extending rear ledge 48 that incorporated a small retainer lip 49
at the center thereof. The tray insert 47 is sized to fit into the
depressed upper surface 45 of the upper tray 40 with the rearward
ledge extending downwardly along the lower surface of the upper
tray 40 so that the retainer lip 49 can snap under the upper tray
40 and detachably secure the tray insert 47 on the upper tray 40.
As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the tray insert can be shaped to be
compartmentalized, including a circular compartment for a cup.
The lower tray 32 is formed with laterally spaced, rearwardly
extending, generally horizontal tray posts 35 that are shaped to
fit into corresponding sockets 28 formed into the upper portions of
the respective arm rests 23. Each of the tray posts 35 have a
roller 36 mounted at the distal end thereof and located along the
upper surface so that the roller 36 will engage the top surface of
the socket 28 as the tray post 35 moves within the socket 28.
Furthermore, each of the sockets 28 includes a roller 29 built into
the structure of the arm rest 23 on the lower surface near the
front of the socket 28, as can be seen best in FIG. 2. This roller
29 supports the underside of the tray post 35 as the tray post 35
moves along the socket 28. With the combination of the roller 36 on
the end of the tray post 35 and the roller 29 at the front of the
socket 28, the tray post 35 can move within the socket 28
effortlessly without concern over frictional forces.
From a structural standpoint, the lower tray 32 is formed as a
relatively flat tray member 33 with lateral legs 34 on opposing
sides of the tray 32 to elevate the tray member 33 above the tray
posts 35 that extend rearwardly from the legs 34. The central part
of the tray 32 is formed with a retention horn member 39 that
projects downwardly from the tray 32 to restrict the movement of a
child placed on the seat 20 when the tray system 30 is mounted on
the high chair 10. The horn member 39 is positionally adjustable
with the tray member 33 relative to the seat portion 22.
Furthermore, when the lower tray 32 is removed from the high chair
10, all obstructions to placing a child onto the seat portion 22,
such as the tray system 30 itself and the retention horn member 39,
are removed from the high chair 10 to facilitate the positioning of
the child on the seat portion.
The rollers 29, 36 are preferred embodiments of the invention as
the rollers 29, 36 present a rolling surface that essentially
eliminates the friction problem between the tray post 35 and the
socket 28; however, other embodiments can be utilized effectively.
As an example, one or both of the respective rollers 29, 36 could
be replaced by an anti-friction post (not shown) formed of a wear
resistant, low friction coefficient material, such as nylon or
Teflon, that could slide in anti-friction grooves (not shown)
formed in the top of the socket 28 and the bottom of the tray post
35 to provide contact points between the tray post 35 and the
socket 28 with minimal friction therebetween so as to facilitate
positioning and adjustment of the tray assembly 30.
In addition, one skilled in the art will recognize that the roller
36 is placed at the top of the distal end of the tray post 35 and
the roller 29 is located at the lower surface at the front of the
socket 28 because of the weight of the tray members 32, 40, 47 is
exerted through the legs 34 to the forward end of the tray posts
35, which form a cantilevered arrangement when the tray posts 35
are mounted in the sockets 28. Thus, the tray posts 35 are normally
inclined within the sockets 28 so that the distal end of the tray
posts 35 are pressed into the top surface of the sockets 28, and
the tray posts 35 bear on the lower, front surface of the sockets
28. However, with this arrangement, an upward force exerted on the
front of the tray assembly 30 can cause some movement of the tray
posts 35 within the sockets 28. Accordingly, an optional third
roller (not shown) could be placed into the lower surface of the
sockets 28 at a selected location spaced rearwardly of the front
roller 29 to provide additional support for the tray posts 35 when
received within the sockets 28.
Operationally, the mounting of the larger upper tray 40 on the
smaller lower tray 32, when the lower tray 32 is adjustably mounted
on the high chair 10, allows the entire double tray system 30 to be
positionally adjusted relative to the seat portion 22 to
accommodate differently sized children. The position actuation
system 50, which will be described in greater detail below, allows
the double tray system 30 to be mounted onto the high chair 10 by
simply aligning the tray posts 35 with the sockets 28 and inserting
the tray posts 35 into the sockets 28 with a rearwardly directed
force without manipulation of the position adjustment mechanism 50.
Accordingly, the tray system 30 can be placed onto the high chair
10 by the caregiver with a single hand, which is a significant
advantage to a caregiver that is holding a child. Furthermore, the
lower tray 32 can be positionally adjusted, rather than just the
larger upper tray.
The position actuation mechanism 50 is housed in the lower tray 32
and includes an actuation button 52 that is located at the front of
the lower tray 32 for convenient access thereto. Preferably, the
actuation button 52 projects outwardly from the lower tray 32 a
sufficient distance to accommodate the positioning of the larger
upper tray 40 on top of the lower tray 32 such that the face of the
actuation button 52 is substantially aligned with the forward edge
of the upper tray 40. To accept this positioning of the upper tray
40, the upper tray 40 is formed with a corresponding notch 42 in
the front edge thereof to receive the actuation button 52.
The lower surface of the socket 28 is formed with a series of
longitudinally spaced openings therein to receive the lock pin 55a
forming the tip of a latch member 55, which is pivotally mounted
within each tray post 35 at the distal end thereof with the lock
pin 55a projecting out of the tray post into engagement with the
openings in the socket 28, one opening corresponding to each
adjusted position of the tray system 30. Preferably, the pivoted
latch member 55 is biased into engagement with the openings in the
socket 28 by a spring 56 so that the tray system 30 will be
retained in the selected position until a positive action is
undertaken to release the latch member 55 from engagement with the
opening in the socket 28.
That positive action to force the release of the lock pin 55a from
engagement with the openings in the lower surface of the socket 28
is provided by an actuation arm 57 that is mounted within each tray
post 35 for sliding movement in a fore-and-aft direction. The
actuation arm 57 is formed with a cammed end 58 that is positioned
to engage the latch member 55 and force upward pivotal movement
thereof against the biasing force exerted by the spring 56 when the
actuation arm slides rearwardly to retract the rectangular lock pin
55a into the tray post. The forward portion of the actuation arm 57
is formed with an upwardly extending engagement member 59.
The actuation button 52 is the forwardly extending portion of a
slide link 53 that is mounted for longitudinal sliding movement
underneath the lower tray 32, as can be seen best in FIGS. 6-9. The
slide link 53 is T-shaped and has laterally extending arms that
terminate in engagement cups 54 that capture the engagement members
59 of the respective actuation arms 57 within the tray posts 35.
Accordingly, the action of depressing the actuation button 52
causes the slide link 53 to move rearwardly underneath the lower
tray 32 and, thus, affect a rearward movement of the engagement
cups 54. Since the engagement members 59 are received within the
engagement cups 54, the actuation arms 57 also slide rearwardly
within the tray posts 35 to force the cammed ends 58 of the
actuation arms 57 into engagement with the latch members 55 to
cause a pivotal movement of the latch members 55 upwardly against
the biasing springs 56 and disengage the lock pins 55a of the latch
members 55 from the selected opening in the socket 28. The slide
link 53 is spring-loaded forwardly by the spring 51 to bias the
latch mechanism into a locked position in which the lock pins 55a
are extended out of the tray posts 35. Accordingly, the actuator
button 52 will only remain depressed as long as sufficient force is
applied to overcome the forces exerted by the spring 51.
As can be seen best in FIG. 2, the exterior surface of the arm
rests 23 adjacent the sockets 28 is sloped upwardly and rearwardly
to define a cam surface that engages the rectangular lock pin 55a
of the latch member 55 when the tray posts 35 are first inserted
into the sockets 28. The engagement between the cam surface and the
lock pin 55a forces the latch member 55 to pivot upwardly into the
tray post 35 against the biasing spring 56 so that the lock pin 55a
will not restrict the movement of the tray system 30 into the
sockets 28. Accordingly, the lock pins 55a will retract into the
respective tray post 35, sliding over the roller 29 until the lock
pin 55a of the latch member 55 becomes aligned with the first
opening in the socket 28, whereupon the spring 56 will pivot the
latch member 55 downwardly to engage the lock pin 55a with this
first opening and stop the rearward movement of the tray posts 35
within the sockets 28.
Further rearward movement of the tray system 30 can then be
accomplished by depressing the actuation button 52 to cause the
latch members 55 to be lifted and, as a result, the lock pins 55a
to be retracted until the desired positioning of the tray system 30
is achieved. Preferably, the forward side of the lock pin 55a is
squared off so that forward longitudinal forces exerted onto the
tray system 30 will not cause a cam action that will pop the lock
pin 55a out of engagement with the selected opening in the socket
28. The rearward side of the lock pin 55a is formed with a back
angle that will resist rearward longitudinal forces that would have
a tendancy to pop the lock pin 55a out of the socket 28. Thus, once
the lock pin 55a is aligned with the first opening in the socket 28
as the tray posts are first inserted into the sockets 28, operation
of the position adjustment mechanism 50 is necessary to either
adjust the fore-and-aft position of the tray system 30 or affect a
removal of the tray system 30 from the high chair 10.
It will be understood that changes in the details, materials, steps
and arrangements of parts which have been described and illustrated
to explain the nature of the invention will occur to and may be
made by those skilled in the art upon a reading of this disclosure
within the principles and scope of the invention. The foregoing
description illustrates the preferred embodiment of the invention;
however, concepts, as based upon the description, may be employed
in other embodiments without departing from the scope of the
invention.
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